


The Silver Lining in Silence

by Aruko_Itsuka



Series: The Silver Lining/Rejectverse [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Character Development, Crime Fighting, F/M, Gangs, Secret Identity, Vigilantism, Villains, Weapons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28506438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aruko_Itsuka/pseuds/Aruko_Itsuka
Summary: New Fell City, home to many that let whatever happens here run its course as long as they're not on the receiving end of a bullet. You'd think the law would do it's job, but if it's not stopping the rampage of drug trafficking, then how is it helping you?Cracking down on the cases of robbery, death, and much more would be doing your town some justice, but not if you wind-up dead the next day. So much for being a hero. Then there's the kid who's still reading about heroes and their epic tales even in his twelfth grade year where just trying to be one will get you killed.Jasheen Mirrors is like anyone else trying to get by in his home where even looking at someone funny will get you shot. Then again, he isn't like everyone else... To some extent. Living in the slums might give you the edge needed to work hard enough to escape this place, but not if you constantly have to fear for your existence in exchange. This is when you know something is wrong for sure.Even still, opportunities come by everyday, and there's still a way to get ahead in life. It might be survival of the fittest, and fighting for your life will constantly be a headache, but at least you got something good out of staying quiet... Right?
Relationships: Original Character & Original Character, Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: The Silver Lining/Rejectverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088129
Kudos: 1





	1. Issue 0: Kicking things off on a bad note

**Author's Note:**

> Simply put, this is my original book that's a work on in progress which can be found on Wattpad and Fanfiction.net where I published this story first. I'm trying to prove that I've surpassed myself as a writer who can make it with my own ideas that I came up with. So all I ask for is your comments, criticism, and anything else that can help me improve. Other than that, I hope you enjoy my book. Peace out boys and girls.

"... Today on channel seven news with me, your anchorman West Fords, witnesses have reported a shooting that took place downtown near the New Fell Train station-"

"Dexter Million, at the age of twenty-three, was found dead after a fight broke out between the young man and his killer Corden Twist over a dispute involving a woman that he attempted to mug for her belongings, only to be thwarted by the man he killed-"

"The New Fell Police Department is currently under heavy fire after one of their men in the line of duty somehow managed to let a dangerous woman escape from his grasp. The woman, in this case, was a thirty-year-old Brooke Rose that had been released a few months back after her incarceration for having controlled substances in her possession which served her ten years in prison. Earlier today she was apprehended after being caught in the act of drugging a few of her victims, in which two are now deceased, and the other eight are at the hospital currently in critical condi-"

"... You can never go one day without hearing about the news reporting someone being dead most of the time. That, or it's always about the criminal activity more than it is anything here in this town." Spoke the voice of a young man that sighed after finishing his statement. The young man in question had a look of annoyance written across his face, pushing a hand through his smooth black hair while turning the tv off. It was just another day in his hometown of New Fell. If a death hasn't been talked about within two times of the morning, once if you're lucky, then you could say that today was a miracle... As if miracles existed here to be honest. 

"Sweetheart, breakfast is ready. Hurry up and eat before you leave out the door since I know how much you hate breakfast at school." With another sigh escaping his lips, the boy stood up and headed towards the kitchen, his half-lidded eyes somewhat being covered by the slightly messy hair that sat atop his head. With the smell coming from the kitchen, the black-haired male's nose was filled with the heavenly aroma. If there was anything he loved more than school food, it was his mother's cooking. And trust me, nothing at school was better than what his mother could cook up. 

"Here I am mom. Tell me, what's for breakfast? It seems like you put all the love you had into this meal." His brown eyes trailed over at the plates his parental figure hand on the counter, the size of the dish being twice the original size of the other ones. Catching a glimpse of the pancakes, French toast, and eggs currently there with some apple juice in a cup right next to it, the boy knew he was in for an amazing breakfast.

"Well well well. Look at my young man Jasheen ready for school as always. It's only September and you're dressing up as if it was your first day all over again. Either way, come and get your plate. I can tell you've had your eye on what I made so far, but I also had put some cookies in the oven, and the bacon is almost done." She smiled at Jasheen, her brown eyes staring at that of her son's. The only thing Jasheen did was come over and grab his plate and plastic cup before kissing his mother's cheek, the older woman smiling brightly at the affection from her son. 

Welcome to the life of the Mirrors' residence. Currently, within the kitchen, we have the mother-son combination of the small family living in their hometown of New Fell City. You see, unlike most places to call home out there, New Fell isn't one of them with the constant rise in criminal activity. You'd be lucky to say that you weren't a witness to any dangerous activity of felonies made if you lived another day to tell your side of the story.

"Thanks mom, I owe you big time. Although, I'm pretty sure I owe you big time every day for your delicious food." Jasheen placed his plate and cup down on the table, his black hair gently swishing to the side while he walked back to the kitchen to see his mother currently setting the now finished bacon on a separate plate. 

Jasheen Mirrors in question was a seventeen-year-old young man that happened to be caramel-skinned with some brown eyes and black hair to match his complexion. Currently, his attire consisted of a thick windproof fur jacket with the fur on his hoodie being white as the four stripes around his wrist and on his shoulders were orange, with the base color of his jacket being black. Along with the two zippers on both sides of his jacket to show they were his pockets, his jacket also carried buttons and a zipper which made it worth the money of actually wearing it since he wouldn't have to worry about the zipper breaking or the buttons coming off any time soon. Underneath that jacket happened to be a dark grey shirt with some white and orange paw prints littering the shirt here and there. As for his pants, they were just a pair of dark grey jeans that had a few slight rips inches above the ankles. Finally, his shoes were a purple base with multiple teal straps going across from the right and left side with some black heels at the bottom. 

As for his mother, Niella Mirrors was a forty-two-year-old woman that carried brown eyes just like her son with black hair sitting atop of her head, which appeared to have some light shades of dark brown with her natural color (seeming to work well with her light skin color). Her hair also seemed to reach past her shoulders a bit. For her attire, it was just a flower-patterned shirt with the colors dark blue and (white) roses going all around it while Niella wore a long red dress underneath that only could stay on her waist, nothing more; finally, the parental figure stood in white bunny slippers with an apron tied around her neck. Welp, she's got herself covered for the casual attire.

"Before I get to assuming, did dad end up leaving for work early, or is he still getting ready?" Jasheen questioned with his usual smile, Niella turning off the iron plates before checking the cookies, shaking her head as she only chuckled a bit.

"Unfortunately, your father ended up getting a call from one of his colleagues in the office. Their car broke down on the way to work, so he got ready early to meet up with them. Although, I didn't pay it much attention. Your father is just helping out like usual."

"Then it's obvious he's not joining us for breakfast, so the rest of the bacon is mine." The teen smirked proudly before laughing a bit, watching his mother remove the tray of cookies from the oven before turning it off bake soon afterwards. Getting a good smell of the chocolate chip flavor was the best every time these cookies came fresh out of an oven. Not to mention that chocolate chip was not just his favorite, but his mom's favorite as well. 

"Cookie time! You better save up for dessert sweetheart. If you don't, then that means you have to wait to eat your cookies."

"Waiting to eat cookies is a sin. It's basically on the equivalent level of the school I go to in this town. Even higher than that to be honest." A grumble escaped his lips.

"Sweetheart, I know how you feel about that school, but you have to go there. It's the only school that's close to home, I don't have to worry about your safety more than I already do now, and it means you won't have to travel a few hours each day to school and back home. Besides, you have eight months before you don't have to worry about that school anymore. Just remember that for me ok?" Niella watched her child's eyes land on her own, the boy sighing a bit before scratching the back of his head. All the seventeen-year-old said was "Sure thing mom." as she smiled at him. 

Walking over to the dish rack placed beside their sink, the mostly black haired woman grabbed another spatula, pulling out one more plate from their cabinet as she began placing the cookies onto them, splitting them evenly amongst the two of them while doing the same for the bacon. Taking both plates after she was done, the only child of the small family walked back over to the table in their living room before placing the food down on their all-white table, Niella coming to the table with her food before both of them sat down in their respective chairs, settling down so they could eat. 

To start his day, Jasheen could already be seen eating his pancakes, Niella chuckling at the goofy smile on her son's face while she decided to eat her French toast before anything else. With the slow start off to their morning, it was a bit quiet as they stuffed their mouths with the delicious flavors of Niella's cooking, basking in the tanginess of their meal.

"Mmm... By the way, I heard you in here talking about the city's problem with the criminal activity that's been rising slowly over time. You mind explaining sweetheart?" Jasheen only gulped his food, going through his pancakes as quickly as possible to make room for the rest on his plate (the cookies mostly) before answering "It's just the same old same old every day. Constant shooting, death throughout the town, but this one takes the cake. The Police Department is getting some major backlash after some woman named Brooke Rose escaped an officer who apprehended her earlier today. She drugged ten people. Two of them are dead now while the other eight are in critical condition at the hospital."

"Yikes. It's one thing or another in this city, but I'm afraid we can't do much about that sweetheart. We gotta leave it all to the professionals, and right now they have more on their plate than we do currently." The forty-two-year-old woman only winced from this information while verbalizing her words aloud. New Fell City was treacherous to travel through no matter the time of day; if the danger wasn't following you, then it was for sure following someone else around you.

"Either way, you better hurry up and finish eating. It's 8:37 and if you don't hurry up, you'll miss the bus for school. Not to mention, weren't you supposed to be meeting up with Caydee seven minutes ago?"

"..." That last sentence quickly made the boy stop eating as he slowly started widening his eyes in realization. Knowing he would be in for a rude awakening if he kept her waiting any longer, the boy began to scarf down his food without hesitating. With his mother chuckling, on the other hand, she was glad she wouldn't have to worry about school anymore (or her job for another few hours). Life was good on her end with the woman currently eating beside her son. With that, a few minutes eventually passed as the twelfth grader shot up from his seat, immediately taking his dishes to the sink while making sure to grab a zip lock bag for his cookies.

"Thanks for the breakfast mom, but I gotta go! See ya when I get home!" He made a quick dash for the door.

"Don't forget your bookbag sweetie!" A chuckle escaped her lips as Jasheen did a double-take before dashing towards his room. Making a quick right at the kitchen, the boy dashed into the second door on the left, showing that this was his room. Even still, the black-haired teen grabbed his backpack and immediately booked it out of the house, wishing his mother a good day before closing the door behind him.

"Oh crap! Caydee is gonna be so pissed at me if I don't show up!" Going to his left, Jasheen dashed down to the stairs of the four-story apartment building he lived in with his mother and father. He couldn't be late to catch the bus. Not to mention that Caydee will carve his name on a tombstone if he missed the bus and came to school late. Well, that's not happening today... Which is why he could be seen rushing towards the entrance to his apartments, being careful to not be caught in the crossfire of any "activity" that might happen in his home.

"... Gah! It's 8:49 and he still hasn't shown up yet! This is the fourth time he promised me that he'll be here on time, and he still hasn't shown up yet!" The voice of a young woman could be heard as she cried out her annoyance about a certain someone that hasn't arrived yet. 

"Hey, can you calm it down with all the screaming-"

"How about you cram a sock in your trap before I arrange it for you?!"

"..." Taking the girl's words to heart, the girl took a step back from the upset female, turning her backpack towards the angry woman's direction.

"Hmph! This is the last time I trust that doofus for keeping a promise on anything!" The girl in question that was vocalizing her irritation was the one and only Caydee Stream, the childhood friend of Jasheen in which the boy had trouble about being on time for their promises. Since this was the fourth time he broke this promise, you could say that this was currently a habit for Jasheen.

Caydee Stream at her current age of seventeen was a natural redhead with beautiful long hair that reached down to the lowest part of her back, the silky strands reflecting light off in every direction, and her beautiful pearly white skin matching with her shining hazel eyes. Sitting atop her head was a pair of pink sunglasses that also carried pink-tinted shades. For her natural attire was a long sleeve black shirt with part of the left sleeve cut off except for a few straps here and there, allowing part of the scarlet bra strap to be viewed rather easily. To go along with this shirt were her olive green cargo pants which had two all-white eyelet belts going diagonally across her waists. As for her shoes, they were just a pair of scarlet base high tops with an all-white base for the heels with her light pink bookbag resting on her shoulders. Checking the time, the redhead noticed it was 8:50, managing to catch a glimpse of the bus coming in her direction. This only made her visible anger skyrocket as the yellow vehicle slowly arrived before her and the other students. 

"Jasheen, when I get my hands on you, you're so dead!" Happened to be the last thought to run through her head as the bus came to a stop. The doors soon enough came open with the bus driver greeting the teenagers with his usual smile. Caydee only clenched her fist before waiting on the other students to get on the bus before she did. Jasheen is so dead when she sees him soon enough. Speaking of which...

"Come on Jasheen you can make it! All you gotta do is keep running and you can catch the bus with Caydee and everyone else!" The brown-eyed seventeen year old could see the bus in the distance, having witnessed it get here before he even passed the mailbox near the entrance to his apartments. And in the distance, the brown-eyed teenager managed to see Caydee walking onto the bus, giving out a quick shout for her to tell the driver to wait. On the other hand, the girl only ignored his calls, choosing to walk on and keep his words to herself as the doors closed behind her, Jasheen looking in disbelief at what just happened. 

"Hold on! Mr. Davison don't drive off yet!" Unfortunately, his cries weren't heard as the bus driver soon began to pull away from the curve to his home, prompting the black-haired seventeen-year-old to give chase after the yellow vehicle, some of his classmates noticing him do this as they only began to laugh. His legs wanted to give out so badly, but he couldn't stop now even if he was out of breath. As the bus was going faster overtime, Jasheen found himself next to Caydee's window, her hazel eyes not paying attention to her panicking friend desperately flailing and shouting to get her eyes to land on him. Not to mention, dodging the branches with the woods right near his apartment homes wasn't helping either. 

"..." He knocked on her window before the bus started going faster on him. With his screeching voice saying "Caydee, please tell him to stop!" falling on deaf ears, he could only watch as the bus finally began to blow him out in speed, seeing as it was hopeless for her help. However, before he was completely out of the automobile's reach, the teen male noticed an open window that would grant access into the bus at the very back. Taking his chances, Jasheen made a jump for the window, managing to catch it with one of his hands as his body began thumping over and over against the yellow automobile. 

"Ow! This is not how I thought today would go for me being late! OW!!" Jasheen's face slammed against the window while holding on for dear life. Yet, he couldn't stay like this forever, and the fact that his classmates were laughing at him while he could get injured and even killed by the bus, he knew overall to ignore them. Right now, his main focus was to get inside as he began pulling himself, planting his feet against the moving bus after bringing his body up a bit to crawl inside. The seventeen-year-old young adult could only think "This is the second most dangerous thing I've done so far." while making way through the window. 

Meanwhile, with Jasheen making his entrance in one of the worst ways possible, Mr. Davison was keeping his eyes on the road ahead, checking his mirrors from time to time making sure that everything was fine. However, after adjusting his top mirror above his head, only then did the man finally bother to take a quick peek behind him and witness an unknown figure (Jasheen himself) climbing inside. Widening his eyes at the display, the older male immediately turned around and hit the brakes, bringing the bus to a grinding halt. Although he stopped the bus, it was bad on his part as well since the momentum forced the black haired teen to lose his grasp on the window, tossing Jasheen out of the bus' confines soon afterward, having him groan in pain from the impact of him slamming against the ground back first. Or in this case, backpack first. 

With this happening, the driver stood up from his seat as he opened up the doors, instantly bolting outside and looking over to see the same familiar face of the kid he takes to school every day since the boy hasn't missed one so far. Mr. Davison's only response was "Mirrors?! What the heck are you doing climbing through the window kid?!"

"... I'mma need a minute... And I'm gonna need a medic." Today was gonna be a long day for the kid if these past few minutes were any indication of it.

"... Hmm? Oh, it's the bus. It's about time he got here. I swear that this school needs to plan a better time route." A voice spoke out amongst the small number of teens just like them, the voice belonging to that of another young woman who was on her way to school. She only adjusted her earbuds, the bus stopping right before her as the doors slowly opened up. Soon enough, everyone began to pile on as she was the last person to step inside, the doors closing right behind her as she made it up the steps. 

"... What the hell? Why is that loser begging for forgiveness from that bitch? I can tell he's doing so..." She rolled her eyes, walking through the aisle of the bus as she kept her sights on Jasheen and Caydee, getting closer and closer to the pair of teens. Now their conversation was becoming clearer... Is she seriously getting upset over this guy not being on time again? 

"Come on Caydee, I said I was sorry for being late! I just didn't notice the time is all while I was eating breakfast with my mom!"

"Hmph! This is the fourth time this week, so don't think you're just gonna easily get an apology from me. You're just gonna have to sit there with my silence once I'm done speaking. Starting now."

"You have to understand that I just didn't notice the time at the moment. Since I was eating with my mom you gotta give me some cre- Agh!"

"Come with me loser, I need you for a bit about something." Hearing this voice, both Caydee and Jasheen turned their heads to come face to face with a smirking friend of theirs. At the moment, said friend has the only boy of their friendship by the back of his collar, pulling him into the seat behind Caydee with the redhead herself instantly jumping up to stare at them, having an irritated expression on her face. However, it wasn't just about Jasheen being late that brought back this expression.

"Let him go Laiyla. Knowing what you could do, I don't trust him around you, even if the three of us are close friends." The now revealed Laiyla of the group pretended to be shocked and offended, scoffing with an eye roll to follow soon afterwards as she smirked, bringing Jasheen's head down to her lap as his face turned red, displaying his embarrassment. 

Being a close friend of Caydee and Jasheen, Laiyla Hate was a mixture of a rude personality with a somewhat caring rebellious nature... In her own way of course. Guess it isn't a phase anymore if she's seventeen as well. That's just the way she acts. Showing off her punk rock style, sitting atop her blonde hair was a black hat. The hat faced backwards atop her head with a splash of different colors across the accessory, looking as if the splashes were done by cans of spray paint. While her blonde hair seemed to rest at the midsection of her back, her ocean-like blue eyes roamed her light brown skin before landing on Caydee. A black choker with a small chain was attached around her neck as her wrists were occupied by a punk spike bracelet for both arms. Covering her upper body was a dark grey plaid sleeveless vest with a short dark blue crop top stating the words "Good guys like bad girls" with a long sleeve fishnet underneath that didn't go past the crop top. Her pants were just a pair of blue jeans ripped here and there with black boots supporting chains and metal straps wrapped around them. Finally, her book bag was dark grey with one strap attached to it. Now the trio was fully complete. 

"Aww, jealous much? The last time I checked, a few seconds ago you weren't giving him forgiveness for being late. Even if it becomes a habit, you know he doesn't do it on purpose. Ain't that right Jash?" She turned his head towards her, having his brown eyes on her blue eyes. The boy of these two girls on the other hand tugged at his collar for a bit in nervousness. However, he then blinked in surprise when he found himself smooshed in between Jaiyla's chest, the latter shooting her middle finger up at Caydee who glared back in response.

"Welp, those two are about to go at it again."

"Looks like Mirrors is the center of their problems once more. I wish them the best of luck since he's their "friend" and all."

"I don't know whether to feel bad for the guy or just laugh at him... I'll most likely do the second."

"As usual with him being the center of attention. That's bad luck Mirrors for you. Counting the window incident this morning, he's in for it again."

"Can you background characters keep quiet?! This is between us you bastards! The next one of you to speak will get it!" Jaiyla cursed out before getting a warning about cursing by Mr. Davison to relax on the profanity. She complied with him on the warning, not wanting it to end up like the last few times they went back and forth about her nature.

"He promised he would meet me at the bus stop on time."

"What is this, first grade? Not everyone can just keep that promise without getting blindsided by something unless they're doing it intentionally. You act like he's your boyfriend, knowing that's why you wanted him to show up on time. Isn't that right?" Jaiyla's smirk grew with Caydee's blush quickly creeping on her face.

"As if! He's just my best friend, so I wanted to spend more time with him! Unlike you, at least I want him to be better at keeping track of time! After all, I don't need my body to let him know I care!" The hazel-eyed teen shot back, folding her arms at the blonde who only waved her off with a soft smile. The blue-eyed teen was enjoying this. Maybe a bit too much on her part, but you couldn't be sure on that yet. 

"Whatever you say virgin Mary. You just wish that your chest could instantly smother his face. These tits of mine help him feel safe after all. Wouldn't you like that?"

"Sure I would. The thought of having Jasheen smothered in my breasts would be so amazing right now." If you couldn't hear the sarcasm, then you might just be a little behind on processing it. On the other hand, Jasheen had slipped from Jaiyla's grasp, shaking his head of the redness that ran across his cheeks thanks to one of his closest friends. Facing them, his only response was "Can we please just skip this and change the subject?"

"Sigh. Fine, let's move on. However, I'm watching you two. Don't try any funny business with him Jaiyla."

"Right back at you virgin Mary."

"Devil child."

"Uptight stepmom."

"Goth whore."

"Fashion Slut."

"You're just a rollercoaster of bullshit aren't you?"

"Better than a girl who thinks she has a chance with Jasheen. Just to let you know, childhood friends usually don't get a happy ending with each other. Just giving you some advice."

"I don't like him in that way!" "Sure Caydee, sure. Keep telling yourself these horrible fibs."

"Today's gonna be a long day for the three of us. I can already see it now." And with that, the screen began to zoom out from the yellow vehicle carrying everyone inside. For all of them, it was just gonna be another boring day of school, with only each other to entertain. Today is just gonna be another day of trying to survive New Fall City in and out of school... Or is it gonna be the same way as all the other previous days?

"... Hehe, you finally showed up, huh? I assume you got Radin out of that little "scuffle" with one of those pawns at the junkyard right?"

"That, and I made sure we won't be dealing with their inferior members anymore."

"That's what the boss likes to hear. Speaking of the boss, the guy is waiting for you in his office. You, him, and a few others are gonna be making a trade."

"So the trade is today huh? He did mention it getting sped up, but that talk was three weeks ago when it was first mentioned. To be honest, I thought we would hold off on it for at least another week or two."

"You know how he is about business. Due to the supply being built up from too much production, the negotiation was pushed to today. You'll be leaving with everyone in a few minutes, so go up there and have a chat."

A simple nod was given from one man to another, both of them exchanging their looks of proudness with a slight smirk being on their faces. Even still, as one of them began to walk away from each other, the guy standing next to the main entrance of the building only placed his hand on the other's shoulder, getting him to look his way as both men stared directly at one another, their facial expressions never changing.

"As always, good luck out there Mirrors." The now divulged patriarch of the Mirrors family spoke out "And as always, I don't need luck if I haven't caught a bullet this far." before opening up the doors to his boss' building. And the thing about this building was the fact that it stood as a six-story apartment building, but with a twist that no one would expect.

Since this building was located in the slums, it wasn't maintained to keep it from being ravaged for anything "valuable." Whether if this was done to maintain secrecy amongst the people who lived in this area of town, or because it became abandoned by the original owner, you would never know. Then again, no one would probably care since practically most of the stuff in the worst part of town was probably worth bus change. Either way, it was time for a new introduction to his everyday "job."

As the patriarch of his household, Devillen Mirrors was a forty-three-year-old man with caramel skin and black hair with brown eyes just like his son Jasheen. His hair was a bit messy here and there, but mostly because it was just naturally kept that way. Mr. Mirrors himself wore a mostly black tuxedo with an all-white button down long sleeve shirt underneath it, and a regular black tie to match; it seems he didn't need a belt for this outfit either. However, resting on his hands were a pair of black leather gloves while a long-sleeve all-black button-down overcoat accompanied his upper body, though he decided to leave it unbuttoned. With his overcoat managing to reach his thighs for someone of his tall frame, the last thing to notice were black dress shoes that went along with his entire outfit. It was nothing much to note since it appeared most of everyone had this outfit in some way, but at least he looked representable. 

Either way, the black-haired man stared at the usual company of his "co-workers," seeing some of them have a few drinks with each other as the rest played a game of pool or whatever else... Well, some of them. As for the rest, who knew what they were up to; not everyone was down here on the main floor. With a usual greeting from the lovely bartender of his "job," Devillen only gave the girl a smile with a wave, watching her pucker up her lips before blowing a kiss his way soon afterward. A chuckle escaped his lips while his gaze stayed on her, his brown eyes never leaving the woman before him as he began to take the stairs to see his boss. And with every step he climbed, the more floors he passed to reach the top, getting closer and closer to where he needed to be as this somewhat functional building held itself together with the work of everyone inside. 

"Looks like today is finally the day we'll visit the Calamity Children. Even if they have been causing problems for us from time to time, can't say we haven't thrown bullshit their way either. However, today will determine if that stupid faction can be trusted..." Finally making it up to the sixth floor, the brown-eyed father set his sights on the door at the end of the hall, knowing exactly where his boss was. With some parts of the wallpaper scratched off, he began to pass each door with a slight increase of speed in his step. Yet, it didn't take long to reach the door at the end of the hall, Devillen grabbing the handle as he exhaled a small sigh before he smirked a bit darkly.

"Or if they need to be withdrawn permanently from the business." The door had finally been opened up to reveal the group of men standing around a desk. Behind that desk was another man with a muscular build so well done that he probably could crush your skull instantaneously if you let his hands grab your head... Why were his hands big like that? 

"Look who finally showed up. If it isn't my right-hand man Mirrors. I'll tell you that it's perfect timing you arrived. After all, I can't negotiate any deal without my right hand covering me." The leader spoke with his rough voice, the base in his vocals sounding deep enough to scare any child. To be honest, not much had to be said about his outfit only to say that it was an all-black tuxedo with a red and black striped tie accompanied by black dress shoes with a tophat which mostly hid the top half of his face. The only thing that it did fail to fully hide happened to be the black eye patch with the design of a red serpent marked on it covering his right eye. Not to mention the golden watch resting on his left wrist, but that wasn't important. All in all, the boss of Devillen was just a caucasian man with his only visible icy blue eye and dirty blonde hair. And the fact he was only fifty-seven years old looking like this probably said a lot of things probably seemed shady about him. 

"Sir, you say it as if I'm that important, even though I already know I am." The brown-eyed forty-three-year-old showed off his arrogance towards his "employer" of sorts, the same employer giving him back a dark smirk in response.

"Well, you aren't my right hand for nothing. After all, you've displayed numerous times why you're one of the last people that shouldn't be crossed." The man stood up from behind his desk, the sleeves on his tux gripping his muscles tightly by how the man's arms flexed in them.

"While I would hate to interrupt, we do have a business meeting to get to. After all, you detest unprofessionalism no matter how close anyone may be with us in this family. If it's good with you sir, I say we should head out now." Devillen faced the voice of the woman he knew all too well, seeing her most cherished item resting on her back. With this, the black-haired man could only say "Left hand Catherine Hallo." as said woman sighed before a bit and gave a soft smile, soon enough responding to him with "Right hand Devillen Mirrors. Welcome back like always."

Being a beauty at first sight no matter how many times you see her, Catherine Hallo is a purple-haired "star" at age twenty-nine currently. While she may have short hair that barely reached her shoulders, her white skin and amber eyes never fail to impress and seduce all that give into her charm. The outfit she wore was that of a small gray unbuttoned overcoat that stopped at her waist, an all-white long-sleeve button-down shirt with a dark orange tie to match, and a dark blue skirt that seemed to be black with a white line going through it all around. Finally, her pair of dark blood red heels rested around her feet, the top strap never going any further than the ankles. This was the beauty that stole hearts and stabbed them soon afterward. Quite literally since she had a sword strapped to her back.

"Of course, the same goes for you. After all, best hands do what they have to, no matter the risks just so their family doesn't fall out with the problems soon to arise." He walked over to the gorgeous woman in the office, taking her left hand with his own to kiss the back of it. Catherine playfully scoffed at the man before her, smiling at the touch of his lips while she only looked away. The purple-haired woman would say he was sweet for this, but it didn't need to be spoken.

"Enough of this Devillen. We got somewhere to be, and I'm not letting you distract me like any other day that you've done so far." Catherine pulled her hand away, the man standing up straight as their leader placed his hand on Devillen's shoulder, blue eyes meeting brown while they exchanged a smirk.

"I say it's about time we left out for departure. Men, go ahead and grab what we need for our trip. And be sure to pack my main firepower with anything else that you bring with us."

"Yes sir! You can count on us to get the job done boss." Slowly but surely, they made their exit out of the room, heading off throughout the building to grab whatever supplies they needed and their employer's firepower. Whatever firepower he was bringing must be in case if something went wrong. 

"Now then, Devillen, Catherine, as my right and left hands watching me every step of the deal, I expect you to make sure everything goes according to plan. Even set up extra preparations if need be just to make sure this deal falls through. Do you understand?"

"You can count on us sir. After all, there's no one better to hold this responsibility than your best hands." 

"Don't worry, I can already tell. Now then, we have a negotiation to fulfill with our clientele. Let's get down to business." The boss turned around and took a step towards the door, both Devillen and Catherine following right after him. Then, with the shut of the doors after they left, the top floor became completely silent.

Meanwhile, still within the slums but on the opposite of it, the one and only Jasheen Mirrors himself could be seen reading a large book in his hands. However, it wasn't just any book someone would pick up and read right away whether they wanted to or not; it was a comic book that he held in his hands, those brown eyes of his trailing over every picture, word, and detail that gave his comic life. And what made it all the better was that he currently had all his work finished, so that he was cool to read until the bell rang for his next period.

"Psst, Jasheen, can you help a friend out and let her copy from you?" Or maybe not.

"What? No, I'm not doing that. The last time I let you copy my work, you did it so identical to the point where you scored both of us detention with the worst teacher imaginable three days straight." He whispered to Jaiyla, the blonde frowning before grumbling soon afterwards. She huffed a bit as the boy only shrugged her off before going back to his comic. There was no way she's keeping him from finishing this volume. 

However, she wasn't gonna let him finish this next issue on his favorite show without a fight. Or this case-

"Come on Jash. Please let me get the answers from you. If you do, I'll let you grab whatever you like." A bargain... Which would be cut short as he smacked her atop the head with his favorite comic book series, making the girl wince a bit as she placed her hands on her head. Now she wishes she didn't take off her hat. That volume was thick in pages just like the rest of the other comic book series he reads. 

"Ow. Did you have to hit me with that thick ass book?" "Considering that you gave bribing me with your body a chance, I felt highly disrespected." Groaning with an eye roll, the girl only sighed as she attended back to her work, allowing Jasheen to get back to his reading, feeling the excitement rush through him about his favorite superhero to ever be created, Red Dre. To him, nothing was better than spending his time reading about the hero he wished he could live as for a day... Unless it was hanging out with both Caydee and Jaiyla. Speaking of which...

"... Give me back my work Jaiyla." 

"Once I finish getting the answers. By the way, thanks for the save loser. Love you." She blew a kiss his way as the boy simply sweatdropped at her.

"How about I get my work back, and you do the assignment legitimately without cheating from a close friend?"

"Jash, Jash... That is the dumbest shit I've heard in my life since the creation of cringefest high school movies singing about their feelings and how much this guy or girl likes each other when they're fucking off screen on set."

"Seriously? How do those two things compa- look, just give me back my assignment before I do it myself." He glared at her, the blue-eyed girl's response being an innocent smile before she grabbed his collar, pulling the black haired teen close to her as they were practically face to face with no real space.

Being this close to her, his cheeks became a bright shade of red, their lips so close to touching as their eyes met perfectly in the center. Her once innocent smile was now replaced with a smirk, that mischievous look giving away something bad or maybe unpredictable would happen as Jasheen nervously swallowed. He knew he wasn't gonna be able to back himself up in this situation without getting them both in trouble.

"Then go ahead and take it from me Jash. Show me what it's like to have control over what we do together." Jaiyla said, not realizing the worst part about what she's done for the two of them.

"How about I show you the control I have over what you two do together? Both of you will see me during lunch and will eat in my class. Don't make me give you detention either for the stunt you two pulled last week. Do you hear me?" The teacher of their class gave them a stern glare, receiving a "Yes Mr. Ignius." in response to his last statement.

"Well, it's good to know that we're on the same page. I expect great things out of both of you this school year, so I'm trying to keep you out of trouble. Just relax and get your work done." With this, the male instructor began grading over his work once more, some of the class snickering at Jasheen and Jaiyla in which the latter only flipped them off while sticking her tongue out.

"There goes my original plan for lunch. Well, at least I have Red Dre-" Realizing that he didn't have the newest issue of his favorite hero in his hands anymore, the seventeen years old male snapped his neck towards the punk rock girl who only waved his work and comic right in his face. Her last response was "Thanks for the help and entertainment Jash." before pecking his lips as she began to copy from his work while reading his book, forcing the black-haired boy to sigh in defeat.

"... Hey boss, care for a drink?"

"Hehe, don't mind if I do Devillen. While we're at it, grab yourself a shot too Catherine. If you're not drinking, you're usually insulting my wine."

"Oh please. The last time I insulted your wine was when a guy wound up dead next to my feet as I was drinking it."

Taking a bottle of Chardonnay from one of the built-in coolers of his small limo, Devillen began to pour up to three glasses, one for each as they sat relaxed and comfortable. Each glass was filled halfway before getting passed, the first drink going to the leader out of everyone since he was their employer of sorts. The next glass was passed to the purple-haired swordsman in the vehicle, those amber eyes of hers staring at the small mirror in her hand while she applied a blood-red shade of lipstick across her luscious lips. Pouring a glass for himself, the right hand of his leader placed the bottle back into the cooler, slowly drinking the wine he chose for every as it looked like he was taking a sip. 

"Boss, we're almost there to the location. Just a few more minutes and we'll be set to make the trade happen."

"Wonderful news I must say. The Calamity Children had been holding off on this deal for a while now, but that delay is over and concluded. So if this goes well, our partnership will help boost our delivery, increase production, and bring in new buyers tenfold the original amount. We'll be furnishing our newest product without attracting any major heat to ourselves from outside the slums; and when the partnership is formed, we'll likely have three or four-sixth of the city in our hands buying what we sell out. It's a plan that can't fail as long as this deal goes through."

A laugh soon escaped the man's lips as his right and left hands stared at him, giving off a proud smile with Catherine quickly saying "Now that's something I can drink to." before raising her glass for a toast. With the other two men next to her raising their glass, all of them proceeded to say "Cheers!" before tapping their glasses together, pulling them away before drinking from their cups soon afterward.

"... Boss, we're here at the location. Once we step out, their headquarters should be the warehouse right in front of us for now. They're still relocating from what my sources told us." Hearing this, every last one of them promptly finished their drinks, setting their respective glasses aside as they proceeded to get themselves ready. 

"Remember, keep your weapons concealed for now. Well, everyone can do that except Catherine since she's the warning we're not gonna be messing around. If things go south, don't hesitate to draw what you have on you just in case."

Three shouts of "Yes sir!" reigned over the former tone that was already set. Opening up a side panel in the car, Devillen pulled out an unloaded Glock G44 before grabbing a magazine, sliding the cartridge inside as he readied his gun for action. On the other hand, Catherine checked her blade while their leader was tossed a Tommy Gun from one of his men that drove them to their location, the same guy grabbing his 1911 and getting ready for anything that could happen. Soon enough, they began stepping out of the car, revealing three more cars behind them with a total of five more men in each one bringing their numbers up to a total of nineteen with themselves included.

"Now then, who has the packages I stated to bring along..."

"Don't worry about that sir. We got the briefcases and box right here."

"You triple checked what you put inside of their right? I don't want anyone grasping our secret product that's still in the works. Not only will it make business look bad for us, but someone could possibly do what we haven't finished doing with it yet." A stern glare was given to everyone besides his hands and his driver.

"Yes sir. It doesn't contain anything about our secret project. All traces of it have been left back at the headquarters under heavy protection. You have nothing to worry about sir."

"That's what I expect, yet I'm glad you delivered responsibly on my orders like always. This just goes to show we never make room for errors around here." The man raises his Tommy Gun, everyone staring at their boss with a look of indifference as he gives off his infamous smile that speaks of nothing but a dark deal already made with the god of death himself. Either way, all of them began walking off towards the warehouse in front of them, seeing two men out front currently keeping guard. Once they noticed all of them coming their way, both men stayed on quick alert before looking at one another.

"They're here for the deal. Get inside and let Lucix know we got important company from the Drowned Serpents."

"Hmph. You know the rules though. Remember, he says no one is allowed access until he says so no matter the company."

"Yeah yeah yeah I know already. Just hurry up and get inside to let him know. He hates receiving late information."

With a nod of his head, one of the men under the mysterious Lucix's leadership opened up the door to get inside, closing it behind him as he had some information to give towards their leader. On the other hand, everyone had just arrived at the door, the lone man of the Calamity Children staring directly in their eyes as he speaks out "Don't worry sir, we know who you are as the leader of the Drowned Serpents. I would let you in, but I need a confirmation from our boss first, so I just need all of you to be patient for me."

"Oh don't worry, we have all the time in the world to wait. As long as this waiting time doesn't take long, we'll be fine." Devillen looked at his leader, seeing the look of seriousness plastered there for his temporary expression while the tone used in his voice spoke out exactly what he was thinking. Hopefully, the leader of the Calamity Children keeps it professional. If there's one thing that this man on his left side hated, was unprofessionalism no matter who it came from. 

With the next three minutes passing by, the second guard from before walked out, letting the words "Welcome to our hideout Mr. Rogue. Lucix has been expecting you for a while now." leave his mouth as both men opened up their doors towards the members and leaders of the Drowned Serpents. Mr. Rogue's only reply was "Just call me Rogue or Serpent. Either one of those will do just fine." before everyone stepped inside to be met with the sight of a strip joint incorporated into a warehouse. And the man that lied center stage of it all stood up a floor above them, his eyes trailing over them carefully.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to a small portion of what's yet to come of the Calamity turf. And to you Rogue my good man, it's going to be a pleasure doing business with you." Lucix stated to every one of the Drowned Serpents, getting their attention rather quickly as he made a quick sprint for the stairway, sliding down the rail to quickly reach the bottom floor as he landed on his feet soon afterwards. 

Lucix himself was a dark-skinned man with black hair wearing an all-black mask with the letters "CC" painted onto it with both of them being separated by a thunderstorm. Luckily the mask hid his eyes. A black scarf hung around his neck while you could partially see a thunderstorm tattooed on his neck. On his upper body was a brown leather jacket with a white T-Shirt underneath. His pants were just a pair of regular jeans with multiple chains attached to the pockets all around his form. For his shoes, they were a pair of base light brown kicks with white laces and a white heel, having the soles being brown themselves. All in all, Lucix didn't look like much to be honest. Especially if his scrawny form was any indication. 

"And the same goes for you if our deal falls through. So I say we just cut straight to the point..." With a snap of his fingers, two of the blonde man's men stepped up with two briefcases and a box. For what was inside would leave you wondering about that question until its contents were revealed. However, from any indication of what we've seen already, I'm pretty sure you can make an accurate guess and get it right on your first try. 

"... And finish up some business. Both of us do have a busy day head ahead of us."

"Of course, of course. But please, let me not keep you out here. Follow me to my office. I think it'll be much more to your liking." All of them began to follow Lucix, some of his men following behind Rogue and his members of the drowned serpents. On one hand, Rogue was keeping his eyes focused on the other leader of his members just like himself, however, Catherine and Devillen just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. And while they knew they were being watched, it seemed like the feeling they carried with them was more about if Lucix was trustworthy, not everyone else watching them. Yet instead of focusing on them, they continued making their way upstairs, finally reaching the second floor soon afterwards as they made way for the middle room inside of this once abandoned building. A hop, skip, and a step later, all of them could be found inside of Lucix's office, the man's hidden eyes trailing over everyone currently in the room.

"Now that we're here, let's talk. Oh, and please, make yourself at home Rogue. After all, I can't have someone of your importance standing up the entire time. Wouldn't you agree?" He smiled mischievously behind his mask, the blue-eyed man thanking him for the offer, sitting in the chair before his desk.

"And yes, I do agree, but that isn't our main focus. Being the man who I am, I just wanna cut straight to the point. So let's do that instead."

"Precisely. So to start things off, can I get a glance of what I'll be working with?" "Boys, show him what's inside the box and cases." Two of Rogue's men ended up stepping up from behind him, Devillen, and Catherine, both of them placing down the cases first on the table before flipping the latches, placing in the combinations to each briefcase before turning it around to reveal the surprising discovery in disguise.

"In the case to your left is an entire stash filled to the brim with maurajana, each stack inside being a brick each but flattened enough to fit the briefcase full capacity. On your right, is the same thing, except its bricks of ecstasy. As for the final mystery item..." With a snap of his fingers, the "employee" under his hire placed the box onto the table, pulling out another layer of drugs just for Rogue to speak out "An entire brick of meth. This box, just like both cases is at full capacity with drugs that could easily... Well, I'll leave that up to you to think about. The thing is though, all three of these items don't come cheap, and it's time-consuming to prepare them in advance. Not to mention the prospect of getting caught is too high if we're outside of the slums..."

"Meaning that you want me to be a supplier for whatever you're selling from this, and any other products you want to cash out on as long as you're not risking your necks outside of your territory, considering most of the Slums is your turf."

"Without a doubt, you're right on the money. Almost quite literally just to say the least. Now I've already put out there what I wanted to say, but if you agree with this little negotiation of being our dealer mainly outside of the slums, you'll get a cut for I say... Twenty-five percent at the start, in which case you can work your way up to a fifty percent cut of the profit we make on each job done. What do you say?"

"Hmm... Can we raise the cut by an extra five percent if that's ok with you?" Lucix intertwined his hands together, both fingers linking with one another as the man before him only raised an eyebrow.

"Extra five eh? Trying to make most of the deal, or do you just want something extra without having to work some of your way for it?" Rogue leaned forward a bit in his chair, prompting Lucix to do the same as both of them stared each other straight in the eyes. However, as if they could sense the tension, Lucix's men began to reach for their weapons, or in their case, take aim a bit on the Drowned Serpent King. However, one glance at what they were doing, and Devillen didn't hesitate to draw his gun and aim at Lucix himself. This further set off everyone in the room besides the gang leaders themselves to draw their weapons, aiming at one person or the other in the room. 

"You want an extra five from me, and this is how your men react Lucix? I don't blame them for the obvious discomforting sensation we're filling the room with, but if they're drawing their weapons because I'm questioning you, everyone here knowing damn well who I am, it just shows me one thing."

"I know what it shows. You're a man of your own culture, who just really hates anything you can't consider properly professional. However, I'm here to show you that I am. So everyone, put your weapons away in MY office. There will be no sort of conflict, or a single weapon drawn again. Failure to reply with this command, and both of us will deal with you accordingly. Now conceal every last gun and blade in this room, or put it away..."

Listening to the order, Lucix's men put up their weapons first, Devillen, Catherine, and the rest following the order soon afterward as they put up anything that could certainly kill without failure. With this, Rogue only smirked as he said "Another man of words and leadership. I like that in a partner. So you asked for thirty right?"

"Yes sir. All I want is thirty percent of the cut for what your gang makes in the deals beyond the slums, and I'll work up to that fifty-fifty bar, or wherever you'll allow me to get paid with any percentage of your choosing. Does this work for someone of your standards?" Lucix asked, almost as if you could see the smile behind his mask while Rogue extended out his arm to the man, shaking his hand soon afterward while his expression changed from the once serious form to his smirk.

"You got yourself a deal then Lucix. From here on out we're partners in crime. Just remember to hold up on your side, and you'll get more than just money from our side."

"Gladly. Which reminds me..." Reaching under the desk, the man brung out a briefcase of his own, unlocking it before turning it around to show his compensation for what he felt like he owed them. Seeing what was inside of the case, it looked like there was a good estimate of one million dollars all in one-hundred-dollar bills sitting stack upon stack upon stack.

"I believe this is yours to have. After all, it's the best given for a man well deserving of it." The black-haired leader soon enough closed the case soon afterwards, passing it to Rogue who then passed it off to Devillen, the man raising an eyebrow with his brown eyes gazing at the case finding something odd about the item he held within his palm. He couldn't be so sure of the odd feeling, but maybe it was just his imagination... Maybe.

"Well then, we shall be taking our leave. Since the deal went well, we'll leave everything else to you. I assume you know what to do from here, so good luck out there. Life isn't a child's game after all."

"Hehe. Especially if you're a leader for those that follow under someone. You're basically a guide book to the newcomers. Ain't that about right?"

Exchanging their smirks, Rogue left out with his members, Lucix's followers letting them walk out while the man in charge of this warehouse only kept his smirk. Everything went according to plan, but it wasn't finished yet. Only one more step needed to be completed. So once all of them were out of his room, Lucix gave a simple command to make sure they were already down the steps. Complying with the order, the mask-wearing "henchman" of his left out for a bit before returning seconds later.

"... Ok sir, they're finally down the steps as we speak. They should be out of the base in a matter of seconds. Would you like to begin phase two?"

"I thought you'd never ask. Go ahead and give them a blast they'll never forget Mason."

"Yes sir." The now revealed Mason went into his pocket and pulled out a small black remote, revealing a red button to be in the center as he pressed it. With this, a cackle began to escape his lips while Mason watched his boss. Today would be the day that the Drowned Serpents were officially wiped off the map.

"..." Devillen felt a bit bothered and uncertain. His brown eyes stared down at the gray case within his hands, questioning something that only seemed to feel odd with the item in his hand. Slowly, he began to open the case, hoping to calm the tension that made him feel uneasy.

"Devillen, are you ok? You're messing around with the case as if it could kill you." Catherine whispered over to the black-haired man, her purple hair slowly swinging a bit as both hands walked behind their boss.

"Something is off about the case. I took it off the Boss's hands when he passed it to me, but the longer I held it, it felt as if the case was getting heavier." He replied in a murmur, Catherine listening in very closely before those amber eyes of hers trailed down to the gray case he held. It was weird with him saying something felt off about it... No seriously, this was like the first time she's ever heard anyone say anything like this. Besides that, focusing mainly on the topic at hand, Devillen's serious expression seemed to give him away, a frown slowly setting on his expression. With this, a swift motion of her hands resulted in the man himself passing the case to the woman beside him, her words being "I'll check it with you." as she began checking over what could point out something not exactly right with the item carrying all of the money within its "secure" locks.

The twenty-nine-year-old woman had to make sure that the case was flat in her hand to prevent anything from falling out, not wanting to let any money escape while she lifted the top layer only to find... One hundred dollars bills all stacked onto each other. Weirdly enough, for a cheap case that felt heavy, it carried nothing but money. All there happened to be was the million dollars that laid there in the confines of the briefcase. Nothing more, nothing less.

"It's just the money in here Devillen. Maybe the cheap briefcase just makes it feel like the weight is throwing you off." Devillen grumbled something in return, the forty-three-year-old man only sighing a bit before taking the case himself, going through the money just for a bit to see something odd. He managed to see something bright red in the center, raising an eyebrow as it appeared to be covered. So with this, he began moving the stacks of money out of the way, slowly widening his eyes upon realizing that he's currently witnessing a timer counting down. And what made it even worse, was not only did Catherine witness it with her amber eyes, but the counter only had seven seconds left.

"..." No hesitation was shown before Devillen locked the case and spun on his own two feet, hurling the gray item towards the doors of the warehouse as some of the men witnessed his actions, moments later hearing a crashing sound result from hearing the briefcase clash with the entrance doors of the warehouse. Instantly, everyone's eyes were on the warehouse, mostly confusion being set about before getting the shock of a lifetime as the case exploded with the money inside, blasting off some of the fronts to the building as everyone began grabbing their weapons.

"Everyone move out! We're not leaving here until we body these motherfuckers!" Rogue's outcry was followed by him raising his Tommy Gun with his members screaming out with a "Yes sir," giving a dash towards the inside of the warehouse as the smoke began to clear up. With this, bullets began to rain out with people dying left and right, screams and bullets being the main combo to keep any silence from returning. For Catherine and Devillen, the two right hands only shared a nod knowing what they had to do. 

"You get upstairs and take care of Lucix. I'll stay down and help out the boss with these guys."

"Hmph. I'm not coming back down until he has a bullet in between his eyes."

"Good for you. Not go up there and kill him instead of talking with me right now! What kind of situation is this for you to be talking in?! We're not characters with some damn plot armor to be doing this now!" Unsheathing her blade, Catherine revealed the silver blade that was accompanied by a purple flower guard as the handle revealed black and purple swirls. With this sword in her hands, the woman charged forward as she caught the attention of a few men whose eyes landed on her running form, leaving behind a confused Devillen to wonder what in the world was she talking about.

"Aye yo, shoot that dumb bitch with the sword!" One of Lucix's men declared as some of them aimed their weapons towards her. With her amber eyes glancing along the men before her, bullets made their way towards the adult swordswoman as she did the unpredictable of what no one could think would ever be possible. With a swift flick of her wrist, the bullet was slashed through, showing it fly off in two pieces. With this, the men that haven't witnessed her skill couldn't see this coming before they fired at her all at once, making sure that one bullet or more at least manages to pierce her body. 

Catherine only deflected a few bullets before dodging to the left on the rest, getting in close range of the man before her as she showed that dark look within her eyes, moving fast enough to slash off the man's shooting hand prompting an agonizing yell to escape his lips, the blood spraying from his hand as he got silenced by a cut over his throat, blood spraying out from here as well with the body falling to the ground moments later. 

"... Now then, who's next?" With a few steps forward, her next onslaught of bodies were soon to come as the purple-haired swordswoman readied her blade for the next strike.

Meanwhile, Devillen made his way towards Lucix's room, taking a few shots at anyone that tried to get in his way. The brown-eyed man's glare only gave way to the desire of terminating the existence behind the creation of the Calamity Children. No matter what happens, he's getting to that room. Well, if it wasn't for one person stepping out of that man's room before aiming his Ak-47 down the small walkway. With his quick thinking, the black-haired adult opened one of the doors to the warehouse as he dived inside, avoiding the bullets before closing the door behind him only to take a look around and realize he was in a bathroom. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as the man knew he needed to reach that room. How he was going to do it? Now that's the question he needs an answer to. 

"Mason, go deal with him while I grab something to carry the supply in. Do not let that bastard's right hand get close to me or our products."

"I'm on it sir. Just get whatever you need, and I'll keep the pests from interfering."

Mason, adjusting his mask and handle on the gun, immediately took a dash straight for the room he saw Devillen enter, slowing down his footsteps to the bathroom as he thought about going inside, but instead chose to aim at the door. Suddenly, with the pull of his trigger, an incursion of bullets blasted through the door and wall; bullets kept firing until Mason ran out of them in his clip, taking this chance to reload as he knew the man had to still be alive. He didn't hear a thud after all. Ever so slowly, the mask-wearing gang member opened up the door to the bathroom, stepping inside to see no blood on the floor or a body, and had to instantly turn around to grab Devillen's hand as the man tried to aim with his Ak, Mason only getting caught in Devillen's grip on his wrist to keep him from aiming fully.

Both of them struggled to gain the advantage of the other, their strength building up the pressure to take someone's life here in this situation. However, Devillen was smarter. With a kick at Mason's ankles, the forty-three-year-old black-haired man brought Mason to his knees which weakened his strength a bit to stop him from keeping his force applied to their arm wrestle to shoot; and with the advantage given to him, Devillen immediately pushed his arm forward before blasting Mason's brains out, blood splattering against the walls, floor, and even the toilet as he left the small room.

"... Finally, it's all packed up and ready to go. Now I need to get the hell out-"

"Yeah, that's definitely not happening here."

A quick snap of his head forced Lucix to catch sight of Devillen with his Glock before ducking underneath the desk, hearing the gun shoot as he dodged a bullet there. Literally. Even still, Devillen ran towards the desk, hopping on top of it with his Glock G44 aimed down at Lucix who immediately tossed his chair at the other black-haired man in the room, causing him to fall backwards as he narrowly dodged it, the chair landing a few feet behind him close to the door. Lucix reached into his desk and pulled out his Ruger Blackhawk revolver from his drawer next to him, pulling the dark blue duffle bag containing all the drugs onto his shoulder before making his way to the other side of the desk in front of him.

As Devillen slowly got up, the cocking of a gun alerted him as he rolled to the side, avoiding two bullets that would've taken his life had he not moved. Lucix only continued moving around the desk, watching the brown-eyed man before him trying to avoid getting shot. Finally, Devillen made his way onto the other side of the desk, taking a quick breathe immediately standing up and taking shots at Lucix.

Lucix on the other hand moved swiftly enough to escape fire before taking cover behind some filing cabinets right next to him. Lucix then took a shot back before Devillen got low behind the furniture currently keeping him protected for now. They both knew that this needed to end, and only one of them would get out alive. So if one of them was gonna die, it would be the guy who nearly got him and his family killed by an explosive hidden inside of a briefcase underneath one million dollars. That's why Devillen immediately went through his pockets, ready to kill the man before him and end this entire ordeal that was created.

On the other hand, Lucix with his mask covered face looked away from the desk to take his time to reload. With each bullet put into his six-shot chamber, he knew that every bullet counted, and really couldn't afford to miss. However, his peak back would end it all. All it took was for one thing to come up behind the desk, and he stepped out and took aim. To his surprise however, what his eyes caught sight of was just a phone that began falling through the air, its constant spinning instantly forcing him to look right to left... That's when the final shots were taken.

Devillen moments earlier had used his phone as a distraction, tossing it up only to jump around the side of his cover, his eyes being met with the mask of Lucix himself before the boss of the Calamity Children started taking shot after shot to his body, depleting every last ounce of ammo in his mag until the click of his gun could be heard. As for Lucix having so many bullets riddled into his chest and above, the man collapsed against the wall, blood already sprayed behind him and currently on the floor while he slowly bled out. With this, he lifted his head only to get a fist to his face that knocked him to the floor, noticing that he dropped his revolver after taking a left hook to his jaw. The black-haired forty three year old man reached down and grabbed his gun, examining it closely for a bit before pointing it at Lucix's head, eliminating him with a single bullet that took his life away with a clear headshot that was inevitable.

"Rot away with whatever animals birthed you." A glare from his brown eyes showed off the hatred he had for his latest victims as the black-haired father of one placed the revolver inside of his pants a bit, pulling off the duffle bag containing their product from the dead leader before him. Devillen put up his own weapon before stepping out of the main room of the now deceased Lucix, walking over to the rail with his eyes gazing at the corpses of the now deceased Calamity Children; and a surprise to him was that they didn't lose any men or Catherine in this fight. Although, he should've expected this outcome since none of them would go down so easily. Especially to a small gang who thought they could pick them off with a hidden explosive. 

"... Man I'm getting too old for this shit. Alright everyone, let's hurry up and get out of here before the cops show up... Well, if they do come here that is." Rogue's statement was met with nods and vocal agreements from his members, everyone hurrying up to clear out while Devillen immediately began to make his way downstairs. They needed to do something about this because they can't continue doing this forever. 

Meanwhile, a few hours passed allowing both Jasheen and Caydee to be seen as the two were currently on the bus with some of the leftover students just like them, Jaiyla having gotten off the bus not too long ago. 

"So the reason why I didn't see you two at lunch was because Mr. Ignius made you both eat in his class after he overheard what Jaiyla said?"

"Yep, basically. I threatened her to give me back my work before I'd take it from her. That failed miserably before Mr. Ignius caught us for practically the wrong reason, and you already know the rest."

"I told you that you'd regret sitting next to her. I swear that you never listen to me when it comes to Jaiyla."

"Well just like you, she's one of my best friends, so life wouldn't be the same without her in it. The same thing goes for you ya know?"

Caydee rolled her eyes before smiling softly, feeling the bus come to a stop as she looked out the window to see they arrived at their stop. With this, everyone grabbed their belongings before making their way off the bus, wishing their driver a good day knowing they would see him tomorrow morning.

"Ignoring everything else that happened today, the 27 Roots concert is almost here! I've already gotten my ticket for this Saturday, so I'm waiting for you two to get yours before it sells out." Caydee turned to look at Jasheen, her hazel eyes staring at his brown eyes as the boy pumped his fish into the air to exclaim "Trust me, I've been waiting months for this concert, and there's no way I'm going to miss it!"

"Hahaha! You say that now, but I better see you this Saturday in the New Fell Downtown Center, and I'm serious." She gave him a stern look before exchanging it with a smile, the boy doing the same as they continued on their way home, making a bit more small talk before they suddenly came to a stop outside of Jasheen's apartment building.

"Welp, this is my stop, so I gotta get inside and get this homework done before school tomorrow. Call you later with Jaiyla?"

"If you call me first that is, but yeah, I'll answer. Talk to you later Jasheen, and you better call me when you're done."

"You have my word, I promise. Catch ya soon on the call red." He soon bolted upstairs, leaving a smiling redhead Caydee to take her walk home. The seventeen-year-old had her own homework and other things to attend to. Besides that, the black-haired teen of the Mirrors' Residence had finally made it upstairs, going through his backpack to pull out a silver key to unlock his door with a few twists and turns before stepping inside. Slowly closing the door behind him and locking it soon afterwards, Jasheen began walking towards his room, taking a quick glance around to see what needed to be cleaned up. Luckily for him, the only thing that needed to be cleaned up happened to be the dark blue duffle bag on their living room table... Wait, duffle bag? 

"Why is there a duffle bag in here? I know me and mom don't own it, and there's no reason for dad to have it, so why is it here? Unless dad probably just got it today or something like that... I don't know, I'm just guessing really." Ignoring the bag for now, Jasheen made his way towards his room, entering inside just to place his things down so he could get to work. Firstly, the book bag was placed on the side of his bed with the shoes being taken off afterwards. The seventeen-year-old male soon discarded his windproof jacket and placed it behind him before stepping out of his room for a bite to eat. If he was gonna do homework, then it needed to be done on a full stomach. 

"I wonder if we still have any Fanta in the fridge. Knowing mom, she probably drank all the bottles since it's our favorite drink." Stepping into the kitchen, Jasheen opened up the fridge to discover that every bottled flavor of Fanta was gone, a grumble escaping his lips as he knew who the culprit was with her habit of not keeping her hands to herself. He only closed the door before sighing, pushing a hand through his hair before walking back into the living room. The duffle bag was still there, yet he didn't even know why it was here. Since his mother leaves at 1:30 for work, that means his father had to be home right? That could be the only explanation for the bag. Although, his dad didn't get off work until after five o'clock, so how could he have brought the bag home? Or maybe he just left work early? 

"..." Jasheen went into his thoughts for a bit, wondering why his old man would need that bag until he blew off the thought, assuming that it must be related to work. So with that in mind, being the good son that he is, the boy walked over to the table and took the strap of the bag, intending to carry it to his parents' room when something caught his eye. Inside the dark blue duffle bag appeared to be some clear plastic zip-up bag with something green inside, part of the bag stick out of the item that was currently holding it. Suddenly, a spark in his curiosity got the better of him as he grabbed the clear bag to see whatever contents were inside... Never did he ever think he would come close to what he now held in his hand.

"Is this... Is this a bag of weed?" His eyes only widened at what he held, the disbelief having taken over his form as the boy questioned it immediately. What was a bag of weed doing in a duffle bag? And why was it at his house of all places? Those would have to be questions for another time since he knew what consequences came with his curiosity if he got caught going through the dark blue item that held the weed currently in his hand. So without a second thought, he began to place it back inside before zipping the duffle bag closed, not wanting to see whatever else was inside.

"I better get this to my parent's room or-" Then he found himself interrupted with a clicking sound right behind. The black-haired teen paused when he heard the sound, not bothering to move as something was placed against his head, feeling the cold metal poke against his skull and hair; and just like that, he didn't have to be told once or twice what was happening to get the idea of what's going on. Yet, what truly surprised him, was the voice of what he heard next. 

"... Curiosity must've wanted to get you killed so bad if you had to pick up the bag huh?"


	2. Issue 1: One slow step at a time... Moderately

"... Do you still have to keep the gun pointed to my head? Both of us established it earlier that I couldn't escape."

"I know, but we're both not stupid. If I let you run away, there's no telling what you could do. This is just a precaution seeing as you've never been in this situation before. Not to mention, what kind of dumbass would think of running off when they have a gun pointed at them?"

"What dumbass wouldn't want to run off when they're getting a gun pointed at them?"

"Touche. Then again if you think about it, you don't know whether you're getting held hostage, or if you're about to get killed. Seeing as to what this city is, you're most likely to wind up dead. That's just the nature within this town."

"..." Jasheen only stayed quiet, the black haired teen sweating bullets as his brown eyes kept his gaze on the Glock G44 that was pointed at his head. The nervousness only continued to spread throughout his form while his father kept his eyes on the road, one lone finger on the trigger as the younger male in the car only sat there. While Devillen continued driving the car, Jasheen could only think back to the earlier events of today. 

"... Curiosity must've wanted to get you killed so bad if you had to pick up the bag huh?" The cold metal of his glock pressed up against the back of his son's head, the parental figure watching the young man before him instantly raise his hands in defense, not turning around since he didn't want to get his head blasted off.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on for a second! Dad, it's me, it's Jasheen!" Panic coursed through his veins, the adrenaline in his body pumping at an alarming rate in which he was just waiting to catch a breath of air, wanting his brown-eyed father to bring the weapon down from his skull and realize that he wasn't just someone breaking in, or anything else along those lines. However, the next few words to leave Devillen's mouth would only further Jasheen's shock at the situation.

"I know it's you Jasheen simply because you opened the front door, and started speaking the moment you came in, but that's beside the point. Right now, I need you to step away from the bag, and head to your room. Grab your shoes, put them on, and come back to me because we're going to be leaving in a bit." Devillen spoke out, getting a slow nod from the seventeen-year-old as he slowly took a step back, moving as far as possible from the table and his father. Then as this started to sink in for him, Jasheen opened his mouth to say something, the disbelief filling the atmosphere of his shock.

"Wait, so you know that it's your son that saw what's inside the bag, but you're still gonna keep me held at gunpoint when I wasn't gonna say anything?! What the hell dad!"

"You may be my son, but I know damn well it won't stop you from telling your mother! Both of us know how she is."

"Well duh. She almost lost aunt Blake to the same thing you have because of her addiction. After all that, mom stated she never wanted to see any type of drugs again that could harm anyone she loves! She has the right to know about you carrying this around, especially since you just told me she doesn't know you have it with that sentence."

"We're going to discuss that in a minute, but I need you to get your shoes on so we can move out and hit the road. So get to marching, and you better not keep me waiting." The seriousness laced in Devillen's voice only served to get a low scoff from his black-haired son, the boy slowly walking to his room before his black-eyed father said "Hold on for a second. Give me your phone. I know that the moment you get in there, you'll instantly call to see if she'll pick it up and tell her what I've got in the house."

"Dad, you gotta be joking?" A quick snap of the teen's neck caused brown eyes to meet with brown eyes. Devillen shook his gun in a giving motion telling his son what the older male wanted him to do. Begrudgingly reaching into his pockets, the black-haired seventeen years old pulled out his phone from his right pocket, handing it over before walking to his room in a sped-up pace of his steps.

"Teenagers. I swear I will never understand this generation of teenagers that don't do what they're told after you've already given them the order. Not to mention, you think a gun would make it easier." A shake of his head only showing off the annoyance of his form, Devillen knowing this was going to be a long day. Which reminds him-

"... And you better not be in there trying to send her message either, or you're in so much trouble!"

"I was just putting on my shoes, what the hell!"

"You can say that all you like, but I know you'll be on that computer if it's taking you this long! Now hurry up and get out here, and stop the cursing towards me!" With this, Jasheen only shook his head of the ordeal that spiraled out earlier, wishing he could ignore the weapon aimed at his cranium. Although, the person holding the gun was his father, so the question of the day would be if he was really in any danger… Well, any danger of getting shot by his father. He for sure wouldn't kill him, right?

"... So, how was school today with Caydee and Jaiyla, assuming that both of them showed up today?" He immediately did a double-take towards the forty-three-year-old man in the driver's seat. After what he just experienced for the first time in his life, besides having to avoid the crossfire of shoutouts from different gangs, he didn't just ask that question.

"You have to be trolling me right now? How do you expect me to answer that not only with a gun aimed at my brain but from the fact it's my dad aiming the gun at me?" Devillen from the corner of his eye got the boy's surprised stare, no one saying anything as the older male of the two only sighed before placing his glock away in the glove compartment. With this, he awaited Jasheen's answer as the brown-eyed teen only stayed silent for a bit, prompting him to say "Don't go for the gun Jasheen. I will punch you into the window."

As for the seventeen years old male, his response back to the black-haired man beside him was "I wasn't even planning on it. I wouldn't even have time to aim before getting my lights knocked out." while Devillen made a few turns on the road, noticing the everyday cycle of the slums. Well, depending on where you're currently living in that area. Jasheen couldn't ignore this side of town since he never went too deep in. Worn down buildings, homeless people here and there, destroyed concrete and broken roads that could be spotted repetitively. How they didn't get a flat tire from all this constant shaking was an understatement. Not to mention, the trash wasn't helping either considering what mainly bestrewed the right side that crossover with the trash a little into the road. 

"I'm not gonna lie, I sometimes forget how worse this side of town becomes over time. Especially when some of the places around here used to be the many gathering spots for the best food, games, and everything else in the slums from what we've had so far." Memories sparked in the teen's head, recalling some of his best moments created deep within this certain area. However, his eyes quickly caught sight of his former favorite restaurant, seeing the windows and doors bordered up as the sign was broken in half, being able to barely see some of the rusted paint. 

"Heh, CrustTop Pizzeria. I remember when you and mom brought me here most of the time when I was just a kid. Other times you two would order delivery, but some of our best memories were made eating in that place. It's a shame to see it shutdown for good." A small sigh formed with his lips, Devillen looking over at his son for a bit before looking back to the main road, making a left turn as he noticed the no longer ever-changing traffic lights. What made it even worse happened to be most of them we're missing from the wires they were attached to on the intersection of this street.

"... So, how long until we get there for where you're taking me?" "We've only been driving for more than fifteen minutes. However, you won't have to worry about that any longer. We're here." The car came to a stop, the black-haired father placing his hands on his keys firmly before twisting them, turning off the engine. On the other hand, Jasheen unbuckled himself from the hold his seat belt had, placing it to the side as he unlocked the door. Both of them stepped out of the vehicle with Jasheen turning to face the buildings they were currently by, seeing his father stare at the building beside them to their left; instinctively, the brown-eyed teen gazed at the building with his own eyes to take in the "interesting" features of the six-story complex.

"Why did you bring me to an abandoned building deep within the slums? Especially on the worst side of it…" His nervousness began to up itself, the seventeen-year-old rubbing his arm while walking to the other side of the vehicle. If there was one thing about this bustee he despised so much, it would be how the dangers deepened the further you went inside. On this side of town, it was the perfect place to go "missing" whenever you got too close for comfort in this surrounding area.

"On your ninth birthday, me and your mother brought you to the Crash-In Hotel. What do you remember about that place in detail?"

"Besides that it seemed sketchy during the night for a supposed "four-star" six-story hotel, it had some really good food and all three of us spent the entire Friday and weekend enjoying everything the hotel had to offer. Especially with the all you can eat buffet. Why do you ask?"

"Well, what's so important about that time we took you there? Think about it. You might remember it, but it has been seven years since that day we talked about what was going on with that inn."

"Hmm…" A slight scratch of his head started the teen male to display himself thinking for a bit. In all honesty, he could remember some of the things they did here, but not all of it. However, he had to reminisce about the conversation they had for this building all that time ago. Could he remember something like that when he was ten? After a long passing of time, you start to lose memories, or it becomes harder to remember certain things.

"... Nope, I got nothing. I'm just drawing a blank on that except for all the fun we had here. Not to mention the cookies I ate from the all you could eat buffet."

"Seven years ago when we took you to the Crash-In Hotel, you asked me during the Saturday weekend why there didn't seem to be a lot of people unlike the previous times others came there. I told you simply that the hotel was losing business simply due to the increase in prices we've had on the city's businesses. Everyone in the hotel had to decide. The food and proper management of the building, or staying at their current level and keeping their customers. Eventually, the hotel couldn't keep up, and it had to be closed. And just like any other building that closes, it never reopens on this side…."

"... This building was the former hotel? No wonder why you asked me about it. I didn't remember much of what it looked like. I only remembered that we spent three days inside for my birthday. But why would you bring me here of all places?"

"Let's just say that you're going to be 'part of the family business. Now get a move on." 

"Are you for real? I'm not going in there! Do you see this place?! How the hell could anyone work here in these circumstances for this building?! You're joking me!" "Get a move on Jasheen, and I better not have to repeat myself because you won't do what you're told." The same gun aimed towards his head made Jasheen flinch a bit, sighing before sticking his hands in his pockets. Man he was tired of seeing that same barrel aimed for his cerebrum.

The black-haired teen grumbled as he reluctantly walked towards the double doors of the building. How could anyone work under these conditions? This place could practically go down at any minute now, and- Wait… Family business? Please don't tell me that his father had some weed earlier and he's still hallucinating. Although, that wouldn't make any sense because he was driving perfectly to get here. Actually, can you drive perfectly while high on weed?

"... Are you gonna open the door, or stand there like an idiot?" A hand on his head caught his attention before his hair got ruffled, bringing him back to reality from his thoughts as Devillen opened the door to welcome the boy to the other side. As they took their steps forward, only Devillen smirked a bit at the sight as Jasheen could be seen gagging with a hand on his stomach while bending over a bit. The alcohol here was immensely strong, the smell continuing to violate his nostrils as he didn't have any other way to expel it. Well, except by plugging up his nose and breathing through his mouth. Even still, he couldn't help but take a look around for the view that currently sat before his form.

Double digits of men amongst a horde of tables chugging down bottles and cans, conversations that could be heard by the front door, their female bartender serving drink after drink like she's working overtime, a few guys playing pool; it didn't seem to end, but he didn't know if they just started. However, it was safe to assume that they were drinking before he even got here. Why did they have to be packing weapons on or near them though?! Is the bartender strapped with a pistol too or something?! 

"Why is the smell of alcohol so strong?" Jasheen practically could feel his eyes swirling, nausea running circles on his encephalon. Besides the constant drinking, he could see a small number of people having a smoke but chose to ignore them for now while he took in the rest. Considering that this wasn't one of those actual five-star hotels you'd find on the other side of New Fell where crime is "less likely" to happen (which is a stretch to be honest), this didn't add to any standards of what a hotel should be like in its model. It just looked like another apartment building. Torn wallpaper with broken parts of the wall, cracked floors here and there, and the stairs looked like they wanted to give way under enough pressure. That wasn't easy to tell though just by staring however.

"All I can tell you is get used to it son. Trust me, you're gonna be remembering this scent as often as possible from now on."

"Often? From now on? Dad, you need to tell me what's-"

"If it isn't Devillen! Welcome back sir. And it seems you brought the special guest of the hour with us." These words from one of the many males having a beer instantly caught the attention of the entire lower level, their smiles and smirks being directed towards the father-son duo that only smiled back at them. Well, except Jasheen who was too busy leaning against a wall to keep himself from throwing up. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, all of this was pure reality that he wished for a chance to deny everything. What kind of company was his father around? Then earlier he told him "You're going to be 'part of the family business." Did he mean that the company of people before him happened to be part of the so-called "business?"

"Of course. What makes him even more special is that the kid next to me is my son. Like father like son I suppose. Hahaha."

"So we got Mirrors Jr. in the business eh? Now that's a play on family business. However, don't let us keep you men too long. Come and grab yourselves a drink, and don't forget to see the boss once you do."

"I was planning on getting a drink anyway. However, don't let my boy get one. He takes a swing of the weak stuff and he'll think he's king of the cans." 

Suddenly, an outburst of laughter roared throughout the room, telling that this atmosphere held nothing but joy and amusement. However, for the only teen amongst these adults, it became dreaded hell. He wasn't going to survive this. There's no way he would survive this. Booking it was a no go from the beginning, but now that he's here, it was definitely out of the question. More precisely, his fear wouldn't allow him to run from the current setting. The guns littered throughout the room even ensured the idea of running was stupid beyond belief. Welp, he's doomed.

Devillen looked over to Jasheen and placed a hand on his son's shoulder in which it forced him to instantly turn towards the forty-three-year-old male. A slight tilt of his head signaled the teen to follow since Devillen had to get this over and done with for Jasheen's sake. It wasn't hard to see the fear in his eyes. After all, it became evident the moment they stepped through as the black-haired seventeen-year-old took in his surroundings earlier. Besides that, Jasheen slowly followed behind his father, covering himself with his hood to hide most of his face from being seen. Whether it was done to keep them from seeing his scaredness or just avoid them completely, the answer could be seen as both reasons. Although, once they got to the main desk, the lovely bartender didn't waste time in passing Devillen a can of beer as their eyes met.

"Thank you. Remember though, my boy doesn't get a drink."

"Don't worry, I got you Devillen. Although, if I can say something you hopefully won't think is out of line, he's pretty cute. He's as good looking as his father." She cooed with the words leaving her lips, not being able to see Jasheen's darkened blush before getting a whispered "Thank you." in which smiled brightly, closing her eyes to add to the effect of her beauty. 

"Yep… Just like his dad." Devillen whispered the last part with a smirk, closing his eyes almost as if he wanted to hide something, drinking the beer he was handed to hide the smirk completely.

"..." Jasheen just kept his silence and didn't do or say anything else after receiving the bartender's compliment. He only chose to keep his head down and avoid all contact with others starting now. He didn't know what he was getting into, but he felt like staying quiet seemed like the best choice. For now at least.

"Alright, you boys better head upstairs to the boss and talk to him about your son. The cutie has a lot of work ahead of him."

"You're right on the money with that. Can't keep him waiting long when I said I was bringing my son here." "Wait, he told his boss he'd bring me to this joint?!" He shook a bit under his windproof coat. Great, just what he needed to hear. If anything, please don't let the boss be like those macho guys you'd normally see in mafia movies. Or worse, those arrogant assholes in movies about people working office jobs. He might as well die on the spot. 

"Let's stop wasting time. Come on Jasheen, we're heading upstairs." Looking over to his right, Jasheen only gave a nod of his head, both males walking away only for the younger of the two just to suddenly get pulled back to the counter, his hood being taken before a kiss was planted on his left cheek, a dark scarlet tint making its way across his features.

"See you again soon cutie. I'm gonna look forward to having you around here." The bartender let him go as her pink lipstick left an imprint on his face. The black-haired teen only pulled his hood back over his head before speed walking away up the stairs; with his father laughing at him, the black-haired father made way behind his son, a chuckle also escaping the bartender's lips as she got back to work. 

With that, the walk upstairs was quiet, Jasheen preferring it to stay this way for as long as possible. He wished he could say hopefully for the entire time, but if his father's boss wanted him here, then that meant he couldn't keep his mouth shut under that hood for long. 

"Jasheen, I'mma need you to listen carefully. Before we get to the top floor, I gotta let you know that my boss hates anything that could be conceived unprofessional. Meaning that before we go inside the hood comes off, you speak when spoken to, talk to him directly with eye contact, don't go acting out, show everyone respect, be careful on what you ask/how you answer, and most importantly, don't go putting your nose where it doesn't belong. You may be my son, but my boss will not take kindly to you breaking anything of what I just mentioned, and certainly will give me a mouthful about it. You got me?"

"Don't worry dad, I got you. I just really want this to be over is all. This place is just not doing it at all for me. Not in the slightest." The boy clenched his teeth, feeling the pressure on him which only served to create deeper tension under these circumstances. Out of every feeling he had right now, he knew mostly to feel afraid not just by the people here, minus the bartender that seemed to like him a bit, but by the sheer thought of what Devillen was getting the boy into. What would happen the moment he got to his father's boss?

"Good. With that, we're finally on the sixth floor. His office is the back room, so get ready."

"I'm not mentally prepared for this at all. I'd rather die." Jasheen only got slower in pacing towards the back room within the hallway. This was it. The moment he got to that door, was the moment everything would change. Change how? He was very unsure of that. All the brown-eyed teen could do was wait and see.

"You think we should get a lackey sir?" Devillen was in his thoughts as they continued their way down to the door, remembering the sole purpose for why he brought his son here in the first place. 

"Yes, I think it's about time we got someone to do this for us. Not just inside, but outside of our normal perimeters." Rogue spoke with both Devillen and Catherine in his small limo, all three of them in the back as a serious expression grazed his face fully. Those icy blue eyes stared into the eyes of his hands, both of them giving a nod in confirmation. 

"While I would understand the purpose of getting a lackey to do some of our business runs, I don't think it's a good idea to send out some rookie into our line of work." Catherine expressed her disagreement, knowing that sending some new guy/girl on trade runs for them had its risks. Especially if they end up getting killed. They're representing the Drowned Serpents after all.

"I get your concern on the subject Catherine, but we need to do this for the sake of our main objective. Our new drug is gonna be ready to ship out in two-three months from now, and it's not yet finished. To have full control of new territory throughout the city, we need to be able to expand, and not constantly have to move out like this. We need someone… expendable per se."

"Expendable? Boss, I understand not having anyone that closely ties to us if they end up dead, but an amateur running around in our gang doesn't seem like a good bet."

"Listen you two, I get where you two are coming from, but we have to do this. Outside of the slums lies a whole new ground to cover and exploit. And I already know the cons that come by having a trainee with us, but think of the perks to add on."

Both of Rogue's hands began to ponder the thought, already having an idea of what the first perk was. That's if they were correct through. Even still, they knew the perils of putting someone with no experience through the wringer of drug trades and more. However, if there's anything a newcomer always carries with them, it was-

"Beginner's luck. If they're new, or at least showcase it, they'll easily be trusted because they don't necessarily have the backbone in each situation. However, they can easily be taken advantage of depending." Catherine and Devillen spoke in unison, earning a smirk from Rogue as he intertwined his hands. 

"Precisely. Since I won't have them here most of the time it gives us a chance to set up base and earn some new customers within the other side of New Fell City. Three-sixth of this town is the slums or connected to it, while the other half is just… Well, this side but somewhat lesser of the problems we face." 

Both adults gave a nod towards their leader, Catherine soon enough speaking out "So our side job is going to be expanding deep into the north side of this crime-infested town? Heh, that's going to be fun, but I guess it'll set us ahead of schedule for our initial plan."

"Definitely. Plus, it gives a good chance to up production if we can secure a few areas. It'll take some time though, that's guaranteed." Devillen said, getting a smirk from their blonde-haired boss while the amber-eyed woman of the trio only gave out a confident smile, not having a single doubt about this in mind now, but knew there would be some plotholes here and there. 

"Alright you two. We've discussed it for a bit, but now it comes down to who we can find to take on the mantle as our "deliverer." You two got any candidates in mind?"

"What about some of the homeless within the slums? Since there's a high number count, we could easily take one of them off the street and do the runs. After all, a good amount of money wouldn't hurt them." Catherine suggested, Rogue waving her off as he spoke out "While they would do anything for money I presume, I don't want them doing a one-eighty and suddenly start doing our drugs. Besides, I think it's best to get someone that'll be more incognito. Someone that the police wouldn't so easily suspect."

"... Boss, I think I might have the perfect candidate for you…" And just like that, both males stood before the door, Devillen's hand gripping the doorknob while Jasheen took his hood off, glancing off to the side with an uncertain look while stating "Let's get this over with already."

"..." Devillen didn't say anything while a serious stare plastered itself for his expression. With one turn of the knob, both of them stepped inside for them to see the usual; for Devillen it was the usual. Jasheen would just have to get used to it. However, Rogue noticed their entry as he smirked a bit, Catherine standing beside him as she gave her slight confusion at the sight of the boy who stood around his father's neck in height difference.

"He wasn't lying when he said his son resembled him closely. You can see it in the eyes, hair, the features they both carry give them away completely. Also, what's with the lipstick on his cheek?" She walked away from her blonde haired boss, those amber eyes of hers staring at the only teen within the room as he started sweating bullets. Seeing this woman walk towards him with a sword strapped to her back was highly alarming. Then seconds later she stopped, sticking her left hand out while giving a smile that welcomed his presence.

"It's nice to meet you Jasheen. I'm Catherine Hallo, and the man behind that desk is our boss, but call him Mr. Rogue for now." The purple-haired swordswoman shook the seventeen-year-old's hand, feeling him tense as she mentally frowned at this. Even with her beautiful smile, she could still see he's intimidated by her. They'll have to get him to ease up here for their sake.

"Sure thing. It's nice to meet you too by the way." They let go of each other's hands. While he was still uncertain about everything, he knew he'd have to push through for now. 

"Devillen and Jasheen Mirrors. My eyes have been welcomed at the sight of father and son in my room. Honestly, I never thought I would see the day. Thankfully I survived long enough." Rogue stood up from behind his desk, showing off his tall muscular frame that only seemed to make the only teen in the room shrink at his size. Now he was really hoping to make a good impression. Also, note for himself, he better remember not to ask about what happened with his right eye. With this though, Rogue approached them, extending out his right hand with Jasheen following up to do the same. Here he is before him, the man behind the power. 

"I-It's nice to meet you, Mr. Rogue."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Jasheen, but please exclude the Mr for now. Just call me Rogue. I don't deserve the mister just yet."

"If you say so, then I'll go along with it. Although, is it ok if I ask why I'm here to be exact?"

"Well, as a man of fear that only sends it out, I'd say it's best to discuss that. However, you have to prove yourself by answering a few questions of mine. I've seen enough of your appearance, but I need to know where your mind's at." A quick nod resulted in Rogue walking back towards his desk while the boy followed, both personal hands standing behind them as they watch this unfold. Rogue took his normal seat behind the desk while Jasheen opted to just stay standing.

"You can have a seat if you like."

"Thanks for the offer sir, but I'd rather stand since I don't wanna get too comfortable somehow."

"That's perfectly fine then, but remember, just Rogue for now. No formalities yet. For now specifically, I would just like to ask a few questions, or guage you on certain things to see where your mind is."

"A few questions doesn't sound so bad." He glanced off to the side before looking back at Rogue.

"Ok then. We'll begin the questioning whenever you're ready, but don't take long. Just like you, I'm quite busy myself." He earned a nod from the black-haired teen.

The seventeen-year-old closed his eyes, taking in as many breaths as possible. With a few slow inhales, the back haired male let them all back out with a slow exhale before opening his eyes once more to stare at Rogue. The next few words he spoke out were "I'm ready to start." with the blonde-haired "businessman" before him gaining the most serious expression you'd ever see from someone twice his age.

"What do you think of this city as a whole?"

"... Crime, hatred, and survival. I hate this freaking town only because there are so many people here that don't get a chance to see the next day. There are felonies left and right with the innocent trying to do their best and run from the problems that no one is fixing. All the politicians preach about change, but I don't see them see them doing it. Hypocrites."

"If you could eliminate one variable from the equation of this city's problems, which of them would it be?"

"I would have to choose the people's fear. I understand that it's not really a problem from another perspective, but some to most are so quick to run. I feel if there was an inspiration for proper change, maybe fearful people wouldn't have to run so much."

A smirk slowly began to grow on Rogue's face. He had some interesting thoughts for the few first two, but how he would respond to the rest would be the question of the day. Rogue then responded with "Gun or knife? Which would you rather be threatened or killed by?"

"Um… I'd rather go with the knife. Sure, it'll be more painful than getting shot, but at least I'd have the fighting chance. I rather take getting stabbed over getting shot if it means I have a chance to live for the sake of everything I love."

"Do you think it's good or bad to keep secrets?"

"... Isn't that a trick question?" Jasheen raised his eyebrow while tilting his head, prompting a curious stare from the older man himself as he leaned forward, folding his hands while staring straight into the teen's eyes, brown ones meeting blue ones upfront. Then stated "A trick question eh? What do you mean by that supposedly?"

"For what I can say, it truly doesn't matter if you keep secrets or not in my opinion. Some secrets aren't meant to be shared. Some of them hurt others when they're told, and some of them protect when people keep them from the eyes and ears of anyone else. It's like truths and lies. Just like a lie, some truths just are as bad as them. Sometimes lies can protect, and sometimes the truth can kill. To me, there's no true ground on whether keeping a secret is good or bad. That's how I view it."

"With that answer, I got one last question for you Jasheen. My question is, if you had all the power in this city right now, if you could instantly have someone do what you've asked of them, if you could have anyone instantaneously help you achieve your dream, would you utilize such strength to change the town you live in now?"

"I would do it without a moment's hesitation. However, I don't have such power, so I'll instead survive this wretched town like I've done for the past few years now, and become rich enough to escape this place. Then, I'll move my family out of this place as well. Although, I'm not sure about that plan now because my dad works for you, so I don't know what that means for me."

"..." Rogue smirked darkly, having such expression hidden behind both of his hands while Devillen and Catherin watched from near the door, wondering what could be going through their leader's head. Meanwhile, the blonde-haired drug lord couldn't deny that he loved the answers he just heard. Actually, scratch loved them. Love didn't express his true feelings for the boy's responses. Having him around would be a plus for the Drowned Serpents, but there will always be hazards in bringing him along. Then again, what did he look like turning down his right hand's son that was keeping his head straight? That would be insanity on his part. 

"I gotta say, I like where your head is Jasheen. There're many out there like you, but everyone is more different than the last. Still, I admire your opinions towards this city and how much you care for its change. That's why I'm gonna have you be a part of this city's change." His icy blue eyes lightened up a bit, changing his previous smirk to that of a confident smile as the fifty-seven-year-old adult stood from behind his desk, once again towering over Jasheen in height. He stepped around from his furniture, moving next to Jasheen before placing a hand on his right shoulder.

"Be a part of this city's change? How can I do that when I'm just a kid? I can't do anything at my current age with no money, power, or people to help back me up. My words are useless."

"While that may be true, there are always other methods to conquer the objective you aim for. As for the other method…" He walked over with Jasheen towards Devillen and Catherine, stopping moments later as he looked down while Jasheen looked up at him. Then Rogue only said "You'll just have to be told more about it later on tonight. You're still in school, so I know you have work that needs to be done. See ya back here soon kid. You're in for the long haul more than you speculate about the other dangers this town holds."

"Wait a minute. See ya later on? Long haul?" Unfortunately for him, the seventeen-year-old wasn't able to question it any longer before Devillen dragged him out of the room, nearly forcing him to fall over and hit the floor; the door closed behind them while Catherine looked towards Rogue, the older of the two looking at his left hand. The swordswoman only shook her head a bit before her amber eyes landed back on the door which was closed moments ago.

"Jasheen Mirrors… Are you sure he's the right one for the job sir? He's a good kid and all with an interesting standpoint, but he has an entire future ahead of him. I'm concerned about how his soon to be affiliation with us will tarnish everything he's working hard for." 

"Surely enough, I worry about that too. Especially since he's about to be a high school graduate in a few months from what Devillen told us earlier. However, I've already settled a tactic ahead of schedule before my meeting with Jasheen was scheduled."

"Hmm? Pray tell sir, what do you have in mind then?"

Walking past everything else, Rogue made a straight shot to the kitchen before reaching inside and grabbing a small glass filled with a vanilla latte that happened to be ice cold with some whipped cream on top. Then he took a swift sip of the beverage before looking over at Catherine with a small smirk and half-lidded eyes. 

"... How do you think he would feel about night runs?"

"... Welp, he's not going to be getting any proper sleep. Also, did you notice the lipstick on his left cheek? I'm pretty sure we know who kissed him there."

"Noted the moment they stepped through the doors. Seems that Ember's already taken a liking to the kid. There's an extra reason why we need him now." And just like that, Catherine only shook her head, wondering how a small kiss can rope someone further into their line of work.


End file.
